To Fund or Not To Fund

First my thoughts and prayers go out to all those who have been affected by this Zika virus both here in the US and across the globe.

On June 28th just before their summer recess the Republicans wanted to pass a bill that would give the EPA $1.1 Billion to research the Zika virus and attempt to develop a vaccine to try to have that available before the virus would come to our shores and affect US citizens who haven’t traveled or had sex with a traveler to the affected countries in Central America. When the bill came up for a vote which needed 60 to advance, failed 52-48 according to CNN. The reason for this bill not passing was because of what Democrats called a “poison pill.” What is that poison pill? The bill has a measure in it that would keep some of the $1.1 billion from going to Planned Parenthood. So in their logic a bill that would help keep people alive and prevent babies from being born with microcephaly where the infants head is smaller than those whose mothers who have not tested positive for Zika.

Then around July 19th according to NBC News “the Florida Department of Health announced that it is conducting an investigation into a possible non-travel related case of Zika virus in Miami-Dade County," as a result the “CDC has provided Florida more than $2 million in Zika-specific funding and about $27 million in emergency preparedness funding that can be used toward Zika response efforts." As a result of the Democrats not passing the bill to give the proper funding in order to fight this disease now we have cases that have come to our shores.

Strangely after these initial cases suddenly the Democrates come to the realization that Zika could potentially be an issue that needs to be addressed. On July 31st according to the Guardian Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has called “for Congress to end its recess and immediately approve emergency funds for combating the Zika virus in America, after Florida reported its first cases of mosquito-borne infections on the mainland, and funding for mosquito nets for pregnant women started running low.”

It seems weird that now democrats would be concerned about helping fight against the Zika virus now that there are cases in the US. When before they didn’t want to pass this bill because it didn’t provide funding to planned parenthood. I guess for those in the Democratic party in the Senate they would find it easier to murder the babies rather than to prevent them from having birth defects caused by this virus. My hope is that the Democrats will vote for this bill to help it pass so those who are effected by the Zika and especially the babies can get a vaccine developed for the mothers so their babies don’t have to suffer the effects of this virus. The Republicans must not budge on this bill and give the Democrats funding to planned parenthood because giving money to that organization has nothing to do with this bill.